Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Mads Pedersen Wins Stage 4 Sprint as Træen Seizes Yellow Jersey
Mads Pedersen won Stage 4 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, sprinting to victory at Foix after 181.9 kilometres from Carcassonne. Quinn Simmons crossed the line second, giving Lidl-Trek a one-two result from a 34-rider breakaway group. The result reshaped the general classification: Torstein Træen of Uno-X Mobility pulled on the yellow jersey after the break finished more than 12 minutes ahead of the peloton containing all main favourites. The Norwegian climber now leads the race overall, with Tadej Pogačar dropping to fourth. Stage 4 unfolded in extreme heat, with temperatures approaching 40°C at the Foix finish.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Sean Quinn Misses Tour de France Yellow Jersey by 28 Seconds
Sean Quinn of EF Education-EasyPost missed the Tour de France yellow jersey by 28 seconds on Tuesday, finishing in the Stage 4 breakaway but 28 seconds behind new leader Torstein Træen at Foix. The American attacked on the final climb but was kept in check by Træen, who rode a controlled race. Teammates Michael Valgren and Georg Steinhauser supported Quinn’s ambitions on the day. ‘I felt like I had great legs but in the heat, it’s really hard to keep them,’ Quinn said. He now sits second overall, keeping EF Education-EasyPost firmly in the general classification battle.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Pogačar Started Stage 4 With Headache as UAE Let 34-Rider Break Go in 40°C Heat
Tadej Pogačar started Stage 4 of the Tour de France with a headache as temperatures climbed toward 40°C, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG chose to let the large breakaway go unchallenged. ‘When we started, I had a full headache and was thinking this is going to be one long day,’ Pogačar said after the stage. The 34-rider break finished more than 12 minutes ahead of the peloton. Pogačar now sits fourth overall, 7 minutes 53 seconds behind yellow jersey leader Torstein Træen. Throughout the stage, teammates constantly brought Pogačar ice and water as UAE focused on protecting their leader through the extreme heat.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Pogačar: ‘I Think They Can Keep the Yellow Jersey for a Long Time’
Tadej Pogačar assessed Stage 4’s outcome at the Tour de France, saying he expects yellow jersey leader Torstein Træen’s team can hold the lead for a long time. ‘It’s a big gap. I think they can keep the yellow jersey for a long time,’ Pogačar told reporters after Foix. The Slovenian acknowledged the size of the 7 minutes 53 seconds deficit to Træen while expressing determination to fight back. ‘You never know. They are really good, and it’s quite a big gap, so we will see. Now we will fight,’ he added. Remco Evenepoel sits fifth overall at 8 minutes 16 seconds.
Sources: Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Vingegaard Rides to Stage 4 Start Under Police Escort After Visma Bus Air-Con Failure
Jonas Vingegaard and his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates rode to the Stage 4 start under police escort on Tuesday after the team bus’s air conditioning failed on Monday evening. A replacement bus was dispatched from the team’s headquarters in the Netherlands but had not arrived in time for the stage. Riders cycled to the start line through 35°C heat accompanied by law enforcement. Cyclingnews reported the incident as the race grappled with exceptional summer temperatures in the south of France. Vingegaard and his teammates completed Stage 4 of the 181.9-kilometre Carcassonne-to-Foix route despite the disrupted morning preparations.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
UCI Changes Feed Zone Rules as Tour de France Temperatures Exceed 37°C
The UCI adjusted its feeding regulations for Stage 4 of the Tour de France ahead of expected temperatures exceeding 37°C, allowing musettes to be distributed in climb zones previously restricted to bottles only. In a press release issued Tuesday morning, the governing body said it would exceptionally authorise feeding bags in zones initially defined for bottle provision only, located on listed climbs. Musettes — small bags containing food, gels, and other nutrition — are ordinarily restricted to designated flat feed zones on the route. The UCI made the decision in agreement with the President of the Commissaires’ Panel and the race organiser to address extreme heat conditions.
Sources: Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Kelland O’Brien Eliminated From Tour de France Debut After Exceeding Stage 4 Time Limit
Australian cyclist Kelland O’Brien ended his Tour de France debut on Tuesday, arriving at the Foix finish 8 minutes and 25 seconds beyond the Stage 4 time limit to be eliminated from the race. O’Brien, racing for Jayco-AlUla, had been involved in an eight-rider pileup on Stage 2 just 6 kilometres into that stage and fought through the effects of his crash in subsequent stages. Cyclingnews noted that Tour cameras caught the moment he crossed the finish line, calling him ‘a real fighter.’ A gold medallist in the Team Pursuit at the 2024 Paris Olympics, O’Brien was the first rider eliminated for exceeding the time limit in this year’s race.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Tour de France — GC After Stage 4
General Classification
1. Torstein Træen — Uno-X Mobility
2. Sean Quinn — +0:28 | EF Education-EasyPost
3. Mathias Vacek — +3:50 | Lidl-Trek
4. Tadej Pogačar — +7:53 | UAE Team Emirates-XRG
5. Remco Evenepoel — +8:16 | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Stage 4 Result
Winner: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
2nd: Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek)
Route: Carcassonne → Foix, 181.9 km
Break finished 12+ min ahead of peloton
Yellow jersey: Torstein Træen
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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